Parents

Narrated Anas: The Prophet was asked about the great sins

He said, “They are:–

(1 ) To join others in worship with Allah,

(2) To be undutiful to one’s parents.

(3) To kill a person (which Allah has forbidden to kill) (i.e. to commit the crime of murdering).

(4) And to give a false witness.”  

Bukhari(Book #48, Hadith #821)

In Islam great emphasis is put on the care and respect of parents in the Qur’an and in the prophetic ahadeeth.

When we are young we are dependant on our parents for all our needs. As we grow up and become independent we tend to forget our parents’ efforts in bringing us up and tend to drift away and often we find their continuous care and attention as a burden (may Allah (swt) protect us from such behaviour).

The Qur’an emphasises the duty we have towards our parents. We need to love them , respect them and care for them should they reach old age without feeling this great duty as a burden.

Less emphasis is put by the Qur’an in the love and care of the parents towards their children as the love and care of a parent for their child is a  love which  is beyond any doubt,knows no bounds and lives in the heart of the parent for ever.

The fact is that the parent’s heart is the fountain-head of the love for the child

The Noble Qur’an has alluded to this instinctive parental love in several places.

It is for this reason that Islam does not emphasize in so many words those aspects of life which are taken care of by human nature itself.

It is where the hold of natural instinct is loosened that Islam extends its helping hand and leads man on the right path by telling him what he is expected to do.

It was for this reason that Islam did not explain the rights of children so forcefully; but full emphasis was given to the rights of the parents.